This invention relates to the protection of water hydrants from undesirable backpressure backflow, and back siphonage backflow.
Hoses and equipment are frequently connected to water hydrants to accomplish various tasks. Backpressure or back siphonage can be encountered during some tasks, particularly if a break occurs in the primary water line.
Wall faucets or hydrants known in the art generally include a hollow housing having an interior inlet end connected to a source of pressurized water and an exterior outlet. A valve is included within the housing and is connected by means of a rod to a manually operable handle outside the housing. Rotation of the handle causes the valve to open and close. These wall hydrants are normally wall-mounted on the exterior of a building.
A freezeless wall mounted water hydrant with a backflow preventor is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,632,303 to Almasy et al. Specifically, this freezeless water hydrant has an inlet valve in an inlet end of a housing, including a valve seat and a valve body. A valve operating rod extends through to an outlet end of the housing with an inner end of the rod secured to a valve body. A backflow preventor is secured to valve operating rod via the valve body, downstream from the valve seat.
The freezeless wall mounted water hydrant of U.S. Pat. No. 5,632,303 is not economically designed for use as a mild climate wall hydrant. Specifically, this freezeless water hydrant requires multiple separate pieces to form both the valve body and the backflow preventor. Further, the backflow preventor is secured to valve operating rod, which requires additional time for assembly. Lastly, the backflow preventor is required to be positioned downstream from the valve seat. All of these limitations limit the cost effectiveness and performance of this freezeless wall mounted water hydrant when applied to a mild climate environment.
It is therefore a principal object of this invention to provide a mild climate water hydrant having a valve body and a backflow preventor mounted within a hollow housing.
Another object of this invention is to provide a mild climate water hydrant having a valve body and a backflow preventor formed of a unitary body.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved mild climate water hydrant having a backflow preventor adapted to remain in a fixed non-rotated position when the inlet valve is adjusted
A still further object of the present invention is to provide an improved mild climate water hydrant having a backflow preventor positioned upstream from the valve seat.
These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.